


The Honeymoon's Over, or A New Understanding

by st_mick



Series: (Mis)Understandings [11]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Bringing Gwen up to speed... mostly, Couldn't be helped... it's how she showed up, Happy Ending, Introspection, Jack proving himself, M/M, Rebuilding Trust, mild gwen bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 16:38:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17749562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/st_mick/pseuds/st_mick
Summary: Gwen returns from her honeymoon to find things are not as she left them.  Jack and Ianto have reached a new place in their relationship, and though they are still rebuilding, it is from a stronger foundation than before.





	The Honeymoon's Over, or A New Understanding

Gwen returned to the Hub after her three week honeymoon, feeling refreshed, but very ready for something more interesting than cuddling with Rhys.  She sighed.  She loved Rhys, very much.  She did.  She had been willing to open the rift to save him, after all.  And she knew she needed to get a handle on this infatuation with Jack, but he was just so damned… _Jack_.

And the way he’d looked at her as they danced.  Like it had torn him apart, to watch her marry Rhys.  She’d be lying if she tried to convince even herself that that hadn’t been pretty darned gratifying.  Right up until Ianto had cut in.  Why’d he have to go and ruin it?  It was supposed to be _her_ day, after all… 

She steadfastly ignored the treacherous little voice that corrected her, saying it had been meant to be _their_ day – Gwen’s and Rhys’, and had Ianto not cut in when he did, there would have been a row. 

She walked into the Hub with an enormous grin on her face.  “Hello!” she sang out.

“Hello, Gwen,” Tosh sedately replied.

“Hiya,” Owen said half-heartedly from his desk, not even looking up from his game.

As she took her seat, she saw a pin-striped arm set a cup of coffee on her desk.  “Thanks, pet,” she said, not even looking at Ianto.

Trying to sound casual, she said, “So where is everyone?”  She cringed at her choice of words and hoped no one else thought anything of them.

But no such luck.  Tosh slowly swiveled her way.  “Everyone is pretty much here.  If you meant, ‘Where is Jack?’, he’s meeting with the Lord Mayor this morning.”

Ianto chuckled.  “Still wish I could be a fly on the wall, for that one.”

Gwen turned to Ianto.  “But you usually… go… with…” she trailed off as she finally caught sight of him.  His back was to her, but she could plainly see that his hair was suddenly very long.  Longer than it could have grown in three weeks, and full, and _those curls_!  She blinked, wondering how that mass of messy curls could be styled so neatly. 

She blinked again when he turned around to face her.  He had a full beard, rather longer than would be stylish.  And again, more than three weeks’ growth.  After her silence extended a bit awkwardly, she remembered herself.  “New look, Ianto?”

Ianto smiled, and it was like nothing she had ever seen before.  He was _him_.  And it was as though he had only been a cardboard cutout of himself, until now.  Some pale ghost of Ianto.  But now, he was fully _there_ , and he was, she had to admit, quite breathtaking, even if he did seem to be pushing hard towards either hippie or hipster, with this look.

“We had a few eventful… days, while you were gone,” he answered.  He sent a smile Owen’s way when the latter snorted.  It was a bit of an understatement.

“What did I miss, then?” Gwen asked, looking at Tosh and Owen, to see if they had undergone any transformations, as well.  But they looked perfectly normal.

“We’ll fill you in, once Jack returns,” Tosh smiled.

“Oh.  So why aren’t you with him, Ianto?  You usually accompany him to meetings with the Lord Mayor, to be sure everyone stays civil.”

Ianto shrugged.  “He had some things he wanted me to do here, this morning.”  Like see Gwen for the first time since his psychotic break, and be sure he could maintain his shielding, around her.  This first time was meant to be without having to deal with the strange dynamic between her and Jack.  The bigger challenge would be when Jack arrived, bringing with him said dynamic. 

So far, all was well.  He gave Tosh and Owen a nod and a smile, letting them know that he was fine.  He had suspected he would be.  After all, he had become rather adept with his shielding.  But even A’nou’uk had warned him that triggering individuals would be more likely to weaken his defenses. 

He had asked her if that included Jack. 

That was, of course, before she asked Jack to join them in the vortex.  As part of his training she had helped him to “listen” to the conversation between the Doctor and Jack.  He had been uncomfortable with the idea – eavesdropping without permission, and all that – but she had argued that Jack was speaking to the coral, as much as the Doctor, so clearly it was his intention and hope that Ianto would hear what he was saying.

She had to explain the significance of Ianto sensing Jack’s pheromones.  He had been stunned.  Potential lifemates?  It had taken him more than a month to accept the possibility, and another to accept that Jack had been pushing him away, not because he did not want Ianto, but because he very much _did_. 

Ianto was able to accept and understand Jack’s behavior, and the reasons for it.  But it did nothing to dull the ache, inside.  He could forgive what Jack had done, but it was going to take time to heal from it.  Particularly the feeling that he was just a plaything.  He _knew_ he wasn’t… that.  Most of the time.  But his heart still felt shredded, and there was nothing for it but to give himself time, and ask Jack for the same.

When Jack had joined them in the vortex, he and Ianto had taken a good deal of time to talk everything through.  Jack explained, allowing Ianto to see and feel his thoughts and feelings, to know the truth of why Jack had behaved as he had. 

It was not an excuse, but rather a reason, and understanding Jack’s reasons had helped Ianto to articulate his forgiveness, and ask for the time he needed.  Jack latched onto the request, asking if they could begin again.  “Third time’s the charm,” he’d said, with none of the bravado that normally accompanied his promises and gestures. 

Ianto had agreed, but with the understanding that he was still hurt and angry, and he needed to work through that.  The idea that Jack had pushed him away because he thought one day Ianto would die did not really comfort him.  It was such a waste of time, fighting the inevitable, and not savoring each moment.  Now they had eternity, and Ianto was equally concerned that Jack’s inability to savor each moment meant that Ianto would soon and forever be taken for granted.

 _Eternity_.

To everyone else, it had seemed that Ianto had taken the news in his stride.  But it had taken him every second of those first two months to wrap his head around it.  And the only thing he kept thinking – and kept kicking himself for, for being a sap – was that now Jack didn’t have to face it alone.  He feared that it was such an abstraction, he was not taking it in, properly.  He feared it would make him as cold and thoughtless as Jack could sometimes be.  He feared Jack would just take him for granted.

Clearly, that was the thing he kept circling back to.  A’nou’uk was confident that Ianto knew exactly what he was facing, and had instructed him to speak freely with Jack.  To let him know his fears.  So he had.  And to his credit, Jack had addressed each one, head on. 

“Ianto, the worst feeling I have ever felt has been the remorse over how I have handled our relationship, not allowing it to grow.  I could never take you for granted, because I know how hollow it’s left me, knowing that I already did.  I wanted you there for me, and I was willing to take your love, even though I wouldn’t allow you to call it that, but I wasn’t willing to give you anything in return that you could interpret as love.  I was…  I treated you terribly.”

“I was there, Jack,” Ianto had wanted that conversation to end.  It only kept those wounds fresh and raw, and all he wanted was to get past it, to move on.  “And please don’t say things like always and never.  Not now.  Not with us…”

That Ianto had made no effort to contradict Jack, or assuage his guilt, had spoken volumes.  “Will…” he was hesitant.  “Will you let me try again?  I know my fear has hurt you terribly, but will you allow me to try again, now that that terror has been laid to rest?”

A small part of Ianto had wished that Jack could have been fearless for him, when it would have meant something.  Now they were sort of stuck with each other, being the only immortals around.  But Ianto caught himself and did what he could to work out such bitter thoughts.  After all, Jack was as human as Ianto, and his fears had not been unfounded.  Such staggering losses, and no end to the pain and fatigue…  He shook himself, realizing that he now faced the same fate, as well.

In the end, he knew he could forgive Jack – already had, in many ways.  And he had agreed that they could begin again, once A’nou’uk was done with them, and they had returned to Cardiff.  But he made it clear that they would have to take it very slowly.

She trained them for six months, and then left them alone together for another six, to get used to one another’s minds and energy.  They were focused on the work, but the time together was good for them.  They became acquainted with one another without any of the barriers that had held them back, before.  Shame no longer kept Ianto from sharing his childhood, and Jack’s past was no longer something he felt he had to protect Ianto from.

They actually became friends.

Jack wanted more, and flirted as relentlessly as before, but Ianto was still finding his footing, so Jack never did more than flirt.  The methods they learned of Jack supporting Ianto were very tactile, so there was a good deal of touching, but Jack kept it from becoming overtly sexual.  Besides, the way the TARDIS was holding them in the vortex meant they were not entirely physical, so it was impossible for sex to be at the forefront of their relationship.  Without that easy crutch, they had no choice but to bond in other ways.

When the TARDIS released them, they had been gone for half a day, from Owen and Tosh’s perspective.  But for Jack, it had been a year.  And for Ianto, two years.  They traveled with the Doctor for a while, experiencing other worlds and giving Ianto the opportunity to practice the skills he had developed.  It was not long before A’nou’uk declared him proficient enough to no longer require her assistance, and they returned her to Alder on the same day they had retrieved her.

The Doctor had returned them to Cardiff the day after they had left.  They had a few days of the rift being somewhat sedate, and Ianto had continued to practice his new skills.  He developed a quiet confidence about his abilities that was new, and yet seemed to fit him as well as his own skin. 

Likewise, the reprogramming had yielded effects that were equally stunning.  He was more sure of himself, quicker to laugh, and easier to interact with.  There was no longer the starched formality that had so clearly been a shield as well as a barrier to knowing him.  He still stood tall and straight, but there was not that uncomfortable stiffness.  He was no longer the butler, still trying to fade into the background. 

It was beautiful.

And it was hell on Jack, because Ianto was still maintaining his distance.  It had been a year, though it was difficult to really count the time they’d spent in the vortex, because it had been clear when they were there that Ianto was still reeling from everything.  He had taken that time to find his footing – the psychotic break and reprogramming, immortality, his abilities, their relationship – so Jack had to repeatedly remind himself that he should only count when they had begun again from the almost three weeks since they returned to Cardiff.  But they had yet to even have their first date, and it was making Jack nervous.

When they stepped back into the med bay on the TARDIS, Ianto had looked like he’d been shipwrecked.  Still just in his boxers, with hair halfway down his back and beard almost to his navel, he caught no end of grief from Owen, for impersonating a Welsh Jesus. 

He had taken the Doctor up on the offer to raid the wardrobe, but rather than a suit, he had come out wearing jeans, converse, and a Nirvana t-shirt that was snug enough to keep Jack’s eyes on him even more than was normal.  But what had surprised everyone was that Ianto did not cut his hair or trim his beard. 

Once they were back in Cardiff, it became a bit of a gauge for Ianto’s healing.  It had been Tosh who had spotted the pattern.  After the first week, when Jack had proved to be consistent in his support of Ianto, his hair and beard had become more neatly trimmed. 

It had been clear from the moment of their return that there was nothing wrong with Jack’s and Ianto’s chemistry, but they had been holding back until a rather intense encounter had them in one another’s arms, snogging like their lives depended on it.  But Jack had backed off when Ianto had asked him to, and the next day Ianto’s hair had crept up another few inches, as had his beard.

Tosh began noting that each time they passed some sort of milestone, or Jack proved he respected Ianto and his boundaries, Ianto came back to himself, a bit more.  The hair was much like the suits, she realized – a barrier, or protection as he allowed himself to heal.  She had vaguely wondered if it was some sort of sophisticated reward system, because Jack did not seem to prefer the beard, though it was perfectly clear he was infatuated with the curls. 

But then she realized that Ianto was not wired that way.  It was simply his way of letting down his barriers and letting Jack back in.  What was truly interesting was how Jack had blossomed, under the new circumstances.  When she had told him about her observation, and he saw it for himself, it seemed to make him happier than she had ever seen him.  She marveled at how he had relaxed his own defenses, now that his fears around having a mortal lover had been assuaged.

***

When Jack arrived from his meeting two hours later, Tosh and Owen were on pins and needles to see how things would play out.  Gwen stood from her desk to greet Jack, but his eyes sought out Ianto, and soon his feet did, as well.  Ianto had just brought a file up from the archives for Tosh, and he stepped forward from her desk, smiling a greeting at Jack.

Jack walked to Ianto and stopped just in front of him, reaching out and taking Ianto’s head in his hands as Ianto’s hands found the sides of Jack’s head.  They pressed their foreheads together for several seconds, each man smiling as their bodies visibly relaxed.

As Jack pulled back, they stared into one another’s eyes, seeming to have a silent conversation.  Ianto nodded, his smile becoming softer, and Jack’s grin bloomed, looking pleased.  He leaned forward and kissed Ianto’s forehead, whispering, “I’m glad.”

When the two men stepped away from one another, Jack turned to Gwen, who was staring openly.  “Welcome back, Mrs. Williams,” he said, giving her a friendly smile and a hug.  He turned back to Ianto and his smile broadened.  “Yes, please.  For everyone, I think.  Conference room?”

Ianto nodded and move towards the kitchen.

“What’s going on, Jack?” Gwen could not contain her curiosity.  That… spectacle with Ianto had been strange and… intense.  It had left her feeling vaguely uncomfortable.

“We had a lot happen, while you were gone.  Come on up to the conference room, and we’ll bring you up to speed.”  He gave her a grin, though it did not seem to have quite the usual wattage.  “Nothing bad, in the end.”  And with that, he bounded up the stairs to the conference room.

“What the hell was that?” she hissed to Owen, once she was confident Jack was out of earshot.

“What, with Tea Boy?  They were just checking in,” Owen shrugged.  “C’mon, and he’ll explain it all.”

“I think it’s nice,” Tosh said, smiling dreamily.

“Yeah, so you’ve said, every time you’ve seen ‘em doing it,” Owen’s lip quirked.  He knew they were winding Gwen up, but it was just too fun.  “You coming?” he asked, swinging an elbow out for Tosh to link her arm around.  Gwen just shook her head and followed.

Once settled in the conference room, Jack looked to Ianto, who gave him a nod.  They had discussed this, and decided that as a member of the team, Gwen needed know at least some of what had happened.  There were some details he had asked that Jack and Tosh and Owen keep confidential, but others were necessary to share.  He was just relieved and grateful that Jack was there to explain most of it.  He sent those feelings Jack’s way, watching his reaction.

Jack smiled, and then _blushed_.  Ianto's heart turned over in his chest.

“Any time, Ianto,” Jack cleared his throat, and then looked at Gwen.  “The day after your wedding, something from Ianto’s past was triggered, and he suffered a psychotic break.”

Gwen’s eyes went wide.  “Oh, my God.  Is he dangerous?” 

“You’ve been watching too much television, Gwen,” Owen snarked.  He looked at Ianto, who was staring at the table, looking self-conscious.  Then he looked at Jack, who was staring at Gwen, incredulous.  “A psychotic break is when the mind breaks from reality.  It can involve hallucinations and delusions, and can be very painful.  And it does not necessarily involve violence.  Gotta say, your sensitivity is mind-boggling.”

Ianto and Tosh exchanged a glance, looking away quickly so neither would start laughing at the idea of Owen lecturing anyone on sensitivity.

“I’m sorry,” Gwen muttered in Ianto’s general direction.  Then she looked at Jack.  “And I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you,” she placed her hand on his forearm, then looked around the table, pleased that she had remembered the team – Jack would like that.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you all with that.”

Jack pulled his arm away from Gwen.  How had he not seen this, before?  It wasn’t new.  It felt all too familiar, actually.  But how had he tolerated it?  Gods and goddesses, how had Ianto tolerated it?  He looked at Ianto, his eyes wide.  _I’m so sorry.  I never realized…_

Ianto looked up from the table, startled.  Then he gave a small smile.  _In fairness, it’s usually not quite so blatant_.

Jack turned back to Gwen, who had been watching the silent exchange with narrowed eyes.  “Your place was with your new husband, Gwen.  Owen was more than equal to the task, and Toshiko was an absolute star.  They helped to administer a cocktail of dilexium and Retcon, and we managed to get to the root of the issues plaguing Ianto, and address them.”

“You’re telling me you’ve come up with the cure to psychosis,” she said, her voice skeptical.

“In this case, it was pretty straightforward,” Owen answered.

“But in taking care of Ianto, we made some rather weighty discoveries,” Jack tried to get them back on topic.

Ianto stood abruptly and strode from the room.  Jack followed, frowning in concern.

“Sorry, slipping,” Ianto said, standing just outside the door.  He took a deep breath and focused on reinforcing his shielding. 

“And you heard something,” Jack said, leaning back against the railing, crossing his arms.

“Which I shouldn’t have.”

“Might as well tell me, because it’s what you heard that drove you from the room.”  He leaned towards Ianto.  “You could have reinforced your shields while we were still in there.”

Ianto huffed.  “I’m not certain I could have.”  He let out a breath.  “You said ‘weighty discoveries’, and she started broadcasting, ‘Oh, God, what the hell else has he been hiding?  I _knew_ he was dangerous.  Cyberwoman in the basement, all over again.  How do I get Jack to…’  Well, you get the idea.”  He looked at Jack.  “Not her fault.  You know that we can’t always control what we think, especially if it’s something fearful.  I should never have heard any of that.”

Jack smiled.  Ianto cut people too much slack, sometimes.  But he was trying to keep the team together.  He leaned towards the younger man and pressed their foreheads together.  He let out a breath.  Oh, how he had come to love this new intimacy.  He felt Ianto relax and then they both worked to reinforce Ianto’s shielding.

As soon as Ianto and Jack were out of the room, Gwen whispered, “A psychotic break?  Why is he still active?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tosh said harshly.  “Jack told you we took care of it.  And we did.  Or did you not notice the difference in Ianto, as soon as you saw him?”

Gwen clamped her mouth shut.  She had noticed, damn it.  Looking out of the door, she saw Jack leaning his forehead against Ianto’s again.  “And what is that about?”

“Jack is supporting Ianto, helping him with his shielding,” Owen said, craning his head to see if he could tell from Ianto’s face how he was doing.  He looked at Tosh.  “He’s fine.  Jack’s got him smiling, again.”

Tosh smiled and nodded.

“Shielding?” Gwen asked.

“Jack will get to that,” Tosh assured her.

Jack and Ianto re-entered the room, Ianto looking a bit sheepish.  “Sorry about that.  Got a little overwhelmed.”

“So what did you find out?” Gwen asked, cutting off any reassurances Tosh and Owen were about to give.

Jack looked at Ianto, who nodded.  “Ianto doctored his records before he joined us, here.  He downplayed his position and education.” 

He held up his hand, preempting whatever Gwen had drawn breath to say, and looked at Ianto, checking to be sure his shielding was holding.  Ianto was staring at the table again, but he gave a nod so Jack knew he was all right.

“Ianto worked in a position that, had I known about it, I would not have hired him.  And that would have been an error in judgment, on my part.  So it’s water under the bridge, but it’s good to know, now.”

Gwen sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.  “I don’t understand how so much blatant lying can just be water under the bridge, Jack.  Why didn’t he just tell the truth, once the whole thing with Lisa happened?”

Jack sighed.  “Because I was always completely unreasonable, where Yvonne Hartman was concerned.  Ianto read the situation, and as it was no longer pertinent to anything, he didn’t correct our misinformation.”

“Then why come clean now?”

“Because we finally bothered to ask,” Jack turned to Ianto again.  “And it led to us finding that Hartman was monitoring Ianto.  Had done since he was a child.”

Gwen’s eyes got wide.  “Why?”

Jack explained about meeting Glenda Jones and their adventure through the rift, and what the nuns had done.  He also explained about Ianto’s abilities, though he only said that they had been buried when he was a child, but as part of what they had done to help him, they had been remembered.

“So…” Gwen was clearly trying to digest everything Jack had told her, so far.  “Ianto had a psychotic break, and when he woke up, he was psychic and immortal?”

“Well, we weren’t certain, so I called Martha, who was with the Doctor, so he came and picked us up and examined Ianto.  He confirmed what we had discovered, though.”

“And then the TARDIS ate the Tea Boy,” Owen chuckled.  He leaned his head back and sighed.  “Good times.”

Tosh smacked his arm with a giggle, and even Jack and Ianto were chuckling.

Jack clarified, “Ianto woke up and had no psychic shielding in place, so he could hear everyone…”

Gwen was out of her chair, backing away.  “You mean he can read minds?” she asked.  “We’ve been through that before, and it’s not right, Jack!”

Jack sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the headache that was threatening.  “Will you let me finish before you just start jumping to the wrong conclusions?” he asked, clearly struggling for patience.  As Gwen returned to her chair, he continued, “The TARDIS shielded him, because hearing everyone was hurting _him_ , not them.  And she picked up a passenger to help train him.”

“The TARDIS held him in the vortex,” Tosh added.  “He’d been there for two months in the fifteen minutes that it took for A’nou’uk to explain what she was going to do.  She stayed in the vortex with him, training him for another ten months.  Then Jack joined them for six months, and she came out and left them there for another six.”

Gwen frowned.  “So you were… away.  For two years?”  It was the first question she had asked Ianto directly.

Ianto nodded.  “And then we traveled with the Doctor for about a month before coming back.”

“And it was the next day!” Tosh was not gushing.  She wasn’t.  But it was a near thing.

Gwen turned to Jack.  “Oh, God, Jack.   You were away for another year!  I’m so sorry!”

Jack frowned.  “Why?”  He looked at Ianto and smiled fondly.  “It was a good year.”

Gwen frowned again.  “Why did you go into the vortex with Ianto?”

“It is the way of things,” Owen said, grinning.

“Alderians spend a great deal of time training people who have abilities like Ianto’s,” Jack said.  “The first ten months, she taught Ianto about his abilities, and how to use and control them, and how to shield himself, which is actually the most important thing, because many thoughts are actually invasive.  The next six months, she trained us together, so I can help support him, when necessary.”

“Why does he need help?  Is it some sort of handicap, or something?”

Toshiko’s fist hit the table, and she actually growled.  Owen swore under his breath.  Ianto took a deep breath and kept his eyes on the table, focusing on keeping his center as he felt everyone else in the room losing theirs. 

Jack looked at Gwen.  “I can’t decide.  Are you being deliberately cruel, or just thoughtless?”

Gwen felt her cheeks flush.  Perhaps that had been a bit much.  But really.  How much more was she expected to endure?  She and Jack had a magical moment on that dance floor, and now all of a sudden, Ianto is _immortal_?  Yeah, right.  That treacherous little voice reminded her that the Doctor had confirmed it, but who was he?  Some madman in a police box?  It was all bollocks.  But she knew she needed to keep her mouth shut until Ianto slipped up, and his lies were caught out. 

She looked up meekly at Jack and widened her eyes, just a bit more than usual.  “I didn’t mean any harm,” she whispered.  She turned to Ianto and swallowed a bitter portion of her pride.  “Ianto, pet, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.  It just seems like this new ability has you very vulnerable, if you need Jack’s help.  I was just wondering what that meant, especially if Jack leaves again.”

Jack sighed.  She’d been doing so well, right up to that barb, at the end.  Gwen knew that one of Ianto’s greatest fears was Jack disappearing, again.  How the holy hell had he not caught this subtle toxicity, before?  Then he realized.  It hadn’t always been so subtle.  And he’d ignored it, or tried to capitalize on it.  _Christ_.

 _It’s okay, Jack._   Ianto was still staring at the table, but there was that small smile on his face.

Jack gave him a small, sad smile of his own.  “It’s really not.”

“See?  What the hell is that?” Gwen jumped in.  “I think it’s time for you to tell me just what these abilities are.”

Ianto looked up at Gwen.  “Empathic abilities.  Telepathy.  I can speak to anyone, but right now only Jack can speak to me.  Some reading, but only with permission, or if it’s something that gets through my defenses.”  He shifted uncomfortably.  “And A’nou’uk says I am telekinetic, but so far I’ve only managed to roll a pencil off an uneven desk, and that gave me a nosebleed.”

“It wasn’t as bad as that,” Owen chuckled.

Ianto shrugged. 

“And Jack needs to help you because…” she prompted.

“Part of the training for Ianto as a reader is to only allow reading if he has permission,” Jack said.  “But it’s not like he has to go in search of it.  Thoughts and feelings are all over the place, just floating around, like… like radio waves.  Or in some cases, heat-seeking missiles.  So shielding is extremely important, because otherwise it just comes in, whether he wants it to, or not.  And the more there is – be it someone having belligerent thoughts or strong emotions – the more challenging the shielding becomes.”

He looked to Ianto, to be sure he had described it properly.  When Ianto smiled, he continued, “So a partner is selected – someone close to the reader – to help reinforce the shielding, when it becomes challenging.  Ianto is still getting used to all of this, so he needs my help more than he will, once he gets a handle on it.”

“How is a… partner selected, then?”  _And why the hell does it have to be Jack?_

Ianto flinched.  He took a breath and reinforced his shields.

 _What didn’t she just say?_ Jack asked.

Ianto was too weary not to tell him.  He rubbed his face.

Jack turned to Gwen and gave her his megawatt smile.  “The privilege is almost always reserved for the reader’s lifemate.”

Owen and Tosh looked surprised.  Ianto stared at Jack for a moment, his eyes wide.  Then he had to leave the room as Gwen’s head exploded in a cacophony of thought and emotion that was too violent for his shields to defend against.

The next day, Ianto’s beard was neatly trimmed and his hair was quite a bit shorter.

***

The day after Gwen’s return, Jack sat down with her and had a long talk about the need to move on from their mutual infatuation.  He was very kind, telling her that he did love her, as he did all of the team, but he was also very clear that whatever flirtation they’d had in the past was at an end. 

She seemed to take it very calmly, but it took several days for her open hostility towards Ianto to subside.  Jack spent more time than usual helping Ianto keep his shielding intact.  In the end, it was excellent training, and Ianto’s shielding was the stronger for having faced its greatest challenge.

At the end of the week, after Jack had held firm against all of Gwen’s persuasions, arguments, and flat out rants that nothing between them needed to change, Ianto finally agreed to the date Jack had been asking for every few days since they’d come back.  He asked for Saturday off when Jack told him he would pick him up at seven that evening.

When Jack arrived he was more nervous than he had ever been in his life.  He knocked on the door, and then almost fell over when Ianto opened the door, clean shaven, hair clipped short, and looking utterly scrumptious in Jack’s favorite suit.

Jack felt a brief pang for the curls, but that as overridden by the realization of what this meant.  He reached out and reverently took Ianto’s head in his hands, and he felt Ianto’s hands on his own head.  He pressed their foreheads together, feeling the sweet, cool, soft connection unravel all of the tension in his body.  _I love this_ , he sighed.  _Thank you for allowing me this beautiful connection with you._

Ianto sighed.  _I love you, Jack._

They leaned back, and Jack studied the apprehensive expression on Ianto’s face.  He smiled an easy smile.  “I love you too, Ianto.” 

Jack pressed a chaste kiss to Ianto’s lips before resting his forehead against Ianto’s, once more.  A new understanding passed between them, and for the first time in his life, Jack felt free.  And for the first time in his life, Ianto felt he was home.

***

**Author's Note:**

> There are more things to write in this AU, but the story decided this was a good place to wrap up, for now. 
> 
> Please Kudo and Comment, if you like it. Thanks!


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